Grand Canyon, Arizona - Joe Biden used the backdrop of the Grand Canyon Tuesday to champion the climate fight and distinguish himself from the Republican right by designating large swathes of surrounding sacred land with protective status.

The US president, kicking off a three-day tour of the American southwest, pumped his fist after signing into existence the country's newest national monument, with Native Americans dressed in traditional outfits and headdresses standing at his side.

"Folks, preserving these lands is good not only for Arizona (and) for the planet. It's good for the economy, it's good for the soul of the nation," said Biden, shielded from the sun by his cap and dark sunglasses as he spoke before a landscape of grasses, shrubs, and juniper-dotted hillsides.

The national monument – which designates that the area's natural wealth, historical significance and economic interest have earned it special protection status – is a place of unique biodiversity that has long been cherished by local Native American tribes.

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The groups hold it in high spiritual significance and have sought curbs on mining activity around the sweeping, spectacular river valley for decades.

The territory created Tuesday will be known as Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon. The name is derived from phrases in the languages of the Havasupai Indians and the Hopi, which translate to "where Indigenous peoples roam" and "our ancestral footprints."

It will conserve nearly one million acres made up of three distinct areas surrounding the Grand Canyon, an immense gorge up to 6,000 feet deep carved over millennia by the Colorado River into endless strata of colorful rock.

According to the White House, the area's protected status will now prohibit new uranium mining projects on the site, without affecting existing mining rights.

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Grassroots environmental group the Sierra Club hailed Biden's move as a "historic step" that safeguards traditional use and "ensures these lands will be protected for generations to come."

The world-famous tourist attraction was formalized as a national park in 1919.

"There's more work ahead to combat the existential threat of climate change," Biden said.

The visit comes as southwestern states, Arizona in particular, bake under a brutal, record-setting heat wave and drought crisis.

Biden, who is seeking a second term in the 2024 presidential election, is also using the trip to set himself apart from the Republican opposition.

Referring in part to Indigenous tribes driven from their lands, Biden castigated unnamed officials in some conservative-run states who "seek to ban books and bury history."

He also criticized the most radical forces in the Republican Party for "trying to undo" a centerpiece of his first term in office, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – a landmark law for boosting green investment – that he signed into law last August.

However, the president has faced his own fair share of condemnation for plans to auction off a huge chunk of the Gulf of Mexico for oil drilling purposes, as well as funding overseas fossil fuel projects.

The International Energy Agency has made it clear that no new oil, gas, or coal projects can be started if the world is to have any chance of avoiding climate catastrophe.